San Mateo, California

You can’t get more diverse in the mid-Peninsula than in San Mateo –and we’re not talking only ethnically and socially but also when it comes to real estate. From mansions in San Mateo Park to waterfront residences in Shoreview, Eichlers in the Highlands and classic cottages in the 9th Avenue/ Central Park area, San Mateo certainly has something for everyone.

Many converge on San Mateo for its big-city feel. With its sophisticated public transportation system, multiple shopping districts, a large indoor mall, numerous parks, restaurants and a 12-screen theater in the heart of a bustling downtown district, San Mateo has a lot to offer everyone, from new homeowners just starting out to retirees hoping to downsize.

San Mateo ranks 70th on the state’s list of large communities, with a population of roughly 100,000 residents. But you might not feel that way if you lived there. San Mateo consists of many neighborhoods, all with a tight neighborhood feel. With numerous recreations centers, libraries, parks and outdoor event spots, San Mateo has an overall big-city feel that is dotted with that sense of community that bring many to search for homes in the mid-Peninsula market.

San Mateo Area Schools

San Mateo Real Estate Areas

San Mateo Park

On the west side of El Camino Real on the cusp of downtown Burlingame is San Mateo Park. The Park, as it’s known, is home to some of San Mateo’s finest homes. This premiere neighborhood boasts Hillsborough elegance with a neighborhood charm. Its tree-lined streets that weave throughout the neighborhood of column-front mansions make even driving through this area enjoyable.

Homes on these streets are on large lots from 6,500-plus, often luxuriously landscaped and private. Conveniently located minutes from downtown San Mateo and walking distance to Burlingame Avenue, homes in this area don’t come up too often and when they do, they cost upward of $3 million.

Baywood/ Aragon

These two neighborhoods are the city’s most popular because they are beautiful and can be affordable. The neighborhoods are well manicured, well kept homes with an obvious pride-of-ownership. Homes are traditional Tudors and Colonial.

Homes in both neighborhoods range in price from nothing lower than $1.5 to more than $2.5 million. Both neighborhoods are at the top of every San Mateo homeowner’s wish list.

Baywood is located is situated off of Alameda de las Pulgas, Crystal Springs Road and El Camino Real.

Aragon is the neighborhood west of El Camino, east of El Camino and just north of Highway 92 near Aragon High School.

Homestead/ Beresford Manor

Just south of Aragon is Homestead Housing, an affordable enclave of houses that typically run around $1 million and above. The two and three-bedroom homes make Homestead Housing a desirable choice for families who want to be close to conveniences but also enjoy a nice calm neighborhood.

Beresford Manor is situation between the Aragon/ Baywood areas and the Hillsdale section of San Mateo. Still on the Westside, these homes tend to be much smaller —less than 2,000 square-feet of living space— with much smaller lots —average being about 4,500 square feet. Prices in the area range from the $900,000 mark and above.

Hayward Park/ Sunnybrae/ 19th Avenue

Hayward Park is an situated near Central Park but bordered by El Camino Real and avenues 10 – 17 in the city. Homes are vintage, Craftsman style homes with large porches with a 1920s feel. Hayward Park is also home to a special sub-neighborhood called Glazenwood, Home of the Old Peninsula Hotel.

If you’re looking for a nice, warm all-American neighborhood, search no further than Sunnybrae/ 19th Avenue. These homes are situated between 18th Avenue and Concar Drive near Delaware Street and South Grant Street. Homes in this area are modestly priced at around $850,000 to $1.6 million. Homes here range in size from 1,200 square feet on up to those which have been upgraded or remodeled and can be as large as 2,500 square feet.

Fiesta Gardens

Fiesta Gardens is a tight-knit community that surrounds an open space park that serves as a gathering place for many in the community. A K-5 Spanish Immersion school also sits in its neighborhood which kids in the neighborhood have the option to attend. Fiesta Gardens has a homeowner’s association that keeps the neighborhood safe, clean and fun.

Homes here fetch between $900,000 and upward of $1.5 million with $300 annual homeowner’s dues.

San Mateo Highlands

Home to more than 900 Eichler homes, The Highlands, a tight-knit community perched atop a patch of land above Crystal Springs Shopping Center, is an ideal location for any family. With a community center with an aquatics center and an award-winning public elementary school, The Highlands is a great spot to discover. Close to Interstate Highway 280, this location is ideal for commuters.

The lots in the Highlands are larger than average —approximately 7,500 square feet— some with sweeping views of the Crystal Springs headlands across the freeway.

Prices of homes are high here, given its architectural enclave.

San Mateo Village/ Lauriedale

San Mateo Village includes the area between El Camino Real and Highway 101. The Village, as it’s known, used to be more of a first-time-buyer location but things have changed over the years and now the neighborhood attracts every type of buyer. Homes for sale in this neighborhood range from $900,000 and above. This is a favorite for those who use Highway 101 to commute yet enjoy walkability for groceries or coffee, with a Whole Foods and Starbucks across Hillsdale Boulevard.

Los Prados/ Lakeshore/ Harbortown

All three of these neighborhoods lie along the Lakeshore Landing, Seal Slough and Foster City lagoon entries. In Lakeshore, you can find some waterfront homes and newer condominiums and rental apartments.Los Prados sits east of Highway 101, south of Lakeshore, almost a gateway city to its neighboring Foster City. You will find small homes in a modest price range of $700s on up to $1 million on the high side.

Harbortown and Mariner’s Island are both waterfront areas dotting commercial areas. Mariner’s Island has access to many waterfront areas and has single-family homes as well as condos and apartments. Harbotown is a large townhome development built in the late 1970s around a man-made lake.

Beresford Manor/ San Mateo Terrace/Beresford

Located near Hillsdale Mall and Beresford Park, Beresford Manor has beautiful homes on small lot on tree-lined streets.

Just west of Alameda de las Pulgas is San Mateo Terrace and Beresford, two of the more popular San Mateo neighborhoods for families. A tight-knit community, these homes – many of which have been upgraded since their 1950s construction – can range in price from $1 million to $2 million. The disparity in prices comes from the difference in homes – some can be two bedroom post-war era homes and others upgraded four-bedroom Tudors.

Hillsdale “The Lanes”/ San Mateo and Westwood Knolls

Home to many small ranchers, “The Lanes” behind Hillsdale Shopping Center are very desirable. Modest in size, these homes tend to be between 1,000 to 1,600 square feet.

San Mateo Knolls, with its hills and close proximity to Belmont, reaching from Hillsdale Boulevard to Belmont along the Alameda, provides homebuyers with choices when it comes to homes. There are some homes with sweeping bay views and others that provide flat cul-de-sacs. Homes range in size, as do the lots, and of course, the prices. Some of the smaller homes can begin on the $800s while the larger homes can go up to $1.8 or more.

Westwood Knolls is the section of homes closest to Abbott Middle School on Alameda de las Pulgas and Hillsdale High School. Homes here run the gamut in price with some in the $900s and others that can reach the $1.7 million mark and above. This is an attractive location as it is near Aragon and Baywood just to its north.

Laurelwood/ Sugarloaf

These classic California homes with big garages and a suburban feel, homes in Laurelwood and Sugarloaf can garner as much as 2,500-plus square feet of living space with four bedrooms. This is an ideal location for a large families, in that it is walking distance to beautiful Laurelwood Shopping Center and also sprawling Laurelwood Park.

North Shoreview / South Shoreview

The Shoreview neighborhoods are the city’s more affordable neighborhoods, North Shoreview is close to Coyote Point and South Shoreview runs along East Third Avenue near Mariner’s Point. Homes are affordable here, beginning in the $750s on up.

Bowie Estates/ Eastern Addition/ Downtown

The Bowie Estates and Eastern Addition, San Mateo’s downtown living, offers an urban feel at an affordable price point. Close to downtown, there are a multitude of different styles of homes here and prices range from $700,000 to $1.3 million and above.